Backup Software - 01 Oct 1997

Vendors you need to knowfor archival

With faxes, email, Web pages, interactive online forms, newsgroups, voicemail, and databases, the digital office is here and thriving. Increasingly,groupware applications are eliminating paper documents and filing cabinets.Physical documents you can hold in your hand, scribble on, and fold into paperairplanes are nearing eligibility for the endangered species list.

Think about it: When is the last time you saw a full, physical printout ofthe corporate accounting ledger or database? Chances are hardcopies don't exist,which can be a dangerous proposition for business. Imagine a natural disasterthat destroys your equipment, a hardware failure, or an employee who hits thewrong key at the wrong time, and you'll realize backup software is not a luxuryfor business in the '90s­it is a necessity.

Backups Required
In Europe, some banks are proposing backup security for intellectualproperty as a prerequisite for businesses applying for loans. According to ahigh-level source involved with storage and backup technologies, banks arelosing money when a business loses its database. That sort of blow is often morethan crippling to a business; it is devastating. Subsequently, bankers are leftholding the note for a loan for a company that no longer exists. And contrary totraditional banking wisdom, the reason is not because of poor judgement ingranting the loan, because of poor management or unsound business practices, orthe result of volatile market forces.

In an effort to protect their investments, bankers are considering usingthe Internet or a corporate intranet to conduct daily or weekly backups andensure timely offsite archival. Although bankers might like this idea, it raisessome interesting and possibly troubling questions for business.

First, how will business executives react to electronic transfer of theirintellectual property? Wire transfer creates a back door to a company'sinformation infrastructure, compromising security and offering hackers a newavenue to attack, not to mention the opening for viruses to get in.

Second, could this requirement signal a new hurdle for businesses lookingfor loans? That is, will start-up companies need to have backup software andhardware integrated into their business plans to be considered for loanapproval? Who will determine what level of backup is sufficient to satisfy bothbanks and business, and who will archive the offsite material?

Backup Solutions
This problem is just beginning to surface and will likely grow as time goeson. Fortunately for all parties concerned, a growing base of products andcompanies offer every sort of tool imaginable to solve the quandary. Softwareproducts covering the gambit of architectures and platforms are available fromall corners of the globe. Many packages feature cross-platform, enterprisewidesupport, including the most widely used file and database structures thatFortune 1000 companies use today. On-the-fly encryption and compression, checksfor media integrity, varying levels of write-protection and file-protection, andeven realtime virus scanning are just some of the features offered.

Packages are designed to make backing up pertinent data a relativelypainless and automated experience. They offer such amenities as holidaytracking; saving all or some of the information in a particular folder or drive;various avenues for dealing with open files; and event log tracking with email,HTML, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) notification.

Similarly, the hardware these applications support comes in all shapes andsizes. From a DDS 8mm tape drive about the size of a box of tissues to humongousrobotic autoloading devices the size of a compact car, something is availablefor everyone.

Backup Sources
To help you get a better grasp of the tools available for implementingbackup and archival solutions, the Windows NT Magazine Lab compiled thefollowing list of backup software vendors (Backup Software Vendor List).The software solutions listed are inshort form, without regard to capabilities, scalability, or performance. Reviewson specific software packages will follow in the coming months to help you makeinformed decisions when implementing or upgrading backup technology. Archival isno longer an afterthought for today's systems administrators, it is aprerequisite.